Air-compressing system



March 23 1926. 19577,730

. H. H. KOUKA .un coMPREssine SYSTEM Find August 14, 1920 Jiffy@ especially detrimental to automobile tires in I Awhich such com-pressed air is used.

-Patented Mar. 23, 1926.

`'UNITED STATE-s y l1,577,730 PATENT OFFICE..

HORACE H. IKOUKA, CHICAGO, ILLINOISQASSIGNOR TO CHAMPION IPNEUMATIC MACHINERY COMPANY, F CHICAGO, ILLINOISLA CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

AIR-COMPRESSING SYSTEM.

Application mea August 14, 1920. serial No. 403,466.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, HORACE H. KOUKA, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Chicago, in the county ofCook and State of Illinois, have invented certainry new and useful Improvements in Air-Compressing Systems,of which the following is a specilication.

My invention relates to improvements in and has special reference to automatically controlled air compressors.`

In the compression of free atmospheric air considerable moistureis condensed and furthermore more or less oil enters intothe compressed air 'from the cylinders of 4the compressor. This oil and moisture which is ordinarily stored with the compressed'air is Itv is usually diilicult to start an electric driven air compressor, particularlyone driven directly by an alternating current motor, when the compressor begins at. once to discharge the air into the compressed airreservoir and considerable ability and ingenuity i has been brought to bear upon-this problem particularly in relation to automatic compressing plants for use in garages and the like.

By means of my present invention, I am enabled not only to readily start up the motor and compressor from an idle condition whether a direct current or an alternating current motor is used, but I am also enabled to eliminate substantially all water and oil from the system,l.trapping it out of the compressed air before the air is delivered fto the storage tank and automatically 'discharging all accumulations from the system each time that the compressor is stopped.

My invention. resides -in a compressor and a source of lpower for operating same in combination with al power control, a trap interposed between` the compressor and the .,storage tankl and means operated by yfthe power control for venting the trap each time the compressor is stopped, the vent beingarranged to cause the discharge of all. accumulated liquid `from the trap. each time the ventopens. 1 y

My invention will'be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings forming part` of this specication,

and in which 56 v igure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of an electric driven compressor embodying my invention.;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the motor control device;

Figure 3 -is a transverse sectional view of the coitrol device on the line 3-3 of Figure 2; an

Figure 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal central `vertical section of the compressor basel particularly illustrating the baies therein. i

In said drawings, 1 is an air compressor, 2 is any electric motor belted direct to the compressor by the belt 3 and 4 is, the automatic control switch for stopping and starting the compressor in accordance with the increase and decrease of the air7 pressure in the storage tank. The compressor motor and Acontrol are all mounted on a single base plate which in turn is on lugs 6 between which and'beneath the plate 5 is arranged and supported an air pressure tank or reservoir 7.

The air compressor shown is a two stage compressor, the air being partly compressed in one cylinder 8 and then passedthrough ya connecting pipe 9 provided With heat radiating veins 10 to the second cylinder 11. From the cylinder 11 the completely compressed airis delivered to the base 12 of the compressor which is provided with a pressure tight chamber 13. From the chamber 13 the compressed air escapes through a pipe 14 to the reservoir 7, the pipe 14 being controlled by a check valve 15 whichvprevents lthe return of the air `from the storage tank `7 to the chamber 13. The chamber 13 serves to trap out any liquid which may be carried in by the compressed air entering saine, and I provide an inclined bottom 16 in this chamber preferably extending downwardly from both ends toward the `middle at which i'sformed a low point 17 where the liquid caught in the chamber 13 settles or accumulates. I connect this low point of the cham.

`more, as the compressed air leaves'- the condensation of the water carried by the lwhich a roller 29 in the 'upper end of air.

This baiile Wall cuts oli' a portion 22 of the-hollow base at the uppper part of the end of the chamber 13l into which the compressed air` is delivered. The bafile depends from' the-upper wall of the chamber to the inclined bottom wall thereof, the

lower edge 23 of the baiile being .separated from the inclined bottom wall to provide a narrow transverse opening 24 through which the air can escape from the inlet chamber 22 to the main chamber 13. The baille thus forces all of the air down into contact with the inclined bottomwall of the chamber 13 and vany liquid ,carried by the air isimpinged against the inclined bottom and iows down to the low point;

17 of the'c'hamber 13. .The delivery pipe 14 isconnected with the highest pointv of the chamber 13 substantially midway between V'its ends so as to deliver substantially dry air to the tank 7.

The specific construction and operation ofthe motor control 4 does not enter into this invention except to the extent. that it controls the vent valve 19. It is suliicient to say that the specific control shown is merely typical of a suitable control.l It is provided with'a--control lever 25 pivotally mounted between its ends at 2 6. One end of the lever is connected to 'and isv adapted to open and close a current control or switch 27 andthe other end is pivoted with a V-shaped projection 28 against a spring pressed lever 30 is held. The

. roller is adapted to be raised and lowered by the pressure in the tank 7 'through the medium of a pressure operated diaphragm 31 which constitutes one wall of a pressure chamber 32 whichis connectedv t0 the tank 7 by a pipe 33. Pressure on the diaphragm 31 is adapted to be exerted upon a lever pivoted about the lixed pivot v29, whichv'movement is transferred` to a lever which pivots about the xed pivot point 29". This latter lever has pivoted thereon the lever 30. As the' pressure in the tank 7 increases the roller travels upV the lower incline 34 of the V-shaped end -28 until it 'passes the edge thereof at which time the spring pressure to which the lever 30y is subjected causes the rollerto advance on the upper incline 35 of the V-KSha'ped.. end 28 thus depressing the end 28' ofthe lever 25. B lthis means the circuit supplying currentlto t the mo-V, tor 2v1sbroken andthe compressorA stops.

As` the pressure decreases in the tank 7 the roller descends the upper incline 35 until adjustable to control the variation in pressure in the tank 7.

The switch 27 is a snap -switch in that it is suddenly opened .and closed as the roller passes the apex ofthe V-shaped end 28, and I make use of this lever to control the vent of the lchamber 13 in the base of the PUmP- l A It is well understood that it is practical-V ly impossible`to start an alternating current motor under load and as it is necessar, to supply many of the compressors wit such motors, I combine the idea of forcing the trapped liq'uid out of the chamber 13 with that of arranging the compresser so that as it starts it' does rnot have to immediately deliver its compressed air against the storage pressure. words, Iinterpose a receiving chamber 13 between the compressor and the storage tank 7, which is of suliicient capacity in relation to the size of the pump, so that the motor shall have attained a working speed before the pressure rises high enough thereinto hold the motor back. I exhaust the air from this intermediate chamber .when the compressor stops and 'it is automatically closed as the compressor again starts.

o The vent valve 19 consists of a housing vertical passage 42 having a small port 43 at its'upper end. This port is controlled' by a ball valve.44 which is held up against In other BetweenV the inlet and the outlet is a its seat and normally closing the' port 43 by an enclosed compression spring 45. Y

When lthe compressor is `operating the .valve is closedl and no air can escape through the vent valve. To open the Avent valve ywhen the motor stops, I provide a plunger rod 46'mounted vertically above the valve 44 andhguided up and down in the casing 38. This rod has a small diameter stem 47 at its lower end which rests upon the ball| 44.1 For depressing the rod 46 and pushing the valve 44- down from its seat to vent 'the chamber 13I provide a rigid projection 48 vextending laterally l'from the end 28 vof the .lever 25. This projection is arranged to contact with the up er end of the rod 46V ,when the end 28 of t e lever 25 is depressed to stop the motor. The valve having/been. closed when the compressor was operating the air in the chamber 13' is the tank 7 by the check valve 15) `als wAs the vent pipe 18 connects with the chamber 13 at its lowest point. 17 the first action of the pressure in the chamber 13 when the vent valve isopened is to force all of the collected or trapped liquid out of the chamber 13 past the valve 44 and then the air escapes om the chamber 13. The

opening of valve 44 occurs when the motor stops as previously described, the plungerv 46 being actuated by the projection 48 on the motor stopping leverz25 for forcing the ball 44 downwardly against the spring therebeneath. j l Y.

The .arrangement is very simple and, effective. The motor can start up freely and easily and the air in the tank 7 is maintained free of all moistureand oil and-consequently does not require any attention to prevent Water or oil being forced into the tires which are filled with the compressed air.

As many modifications of my invention will readily suggest themselves to one skilled in the art, I do not limit or confine my invention to the specific structures herein shown and described.

I claim:

1. In an air compressing system, a compressor, a receiver for the compressed air, a chamber interposed between the receiver and the compressor, the chamber having an inclined bottom, the connection of the chamber with the compressor belng arranged above a high part of the inclined bottom, a transversely extending baille in the chamber depending from the topV Wall adjacent to the inlet and ending adjacentv to the inclined bottom, theoutlet for the receiver arranged on the o posite side of said baille to cause the air to ow in contact withl the inclined. bottom and to deposit thereon any carried liquid, and means for discharging collected llquid from `said chamber.

2.In\v an air compressing system, a compressor, a receiver for the compressed air, a chamber interposedbetween the receiver and the compressor, the chamber having an inclined bottom, the connection of the chamber with the compressor being arranged above a high part of the inclined bottom, a transversely extending baffle in the chamber depending from the top wall adjacent to the inlet and ending adjacent to the inclined bottom, the outlet for the receiver arranged on the opposite side of said baille to cause the air\to ow in contact with the inclined bottom and to deposit thereon any carried liquid.

3. In an air compressing system, a compressor, a receiver for the compressed air,

a chamber interposed between the receiverV and the compressor, the chamber havlng an inclined bottom, the connection of the chamber with the compressor bein arranged above a high part of .the inc ined bottom, transversely extending ballles in the chamber, an outlet for the receiver arranged on the opposite side of 'said bales to cause air-to flow in contact with the inclined bottom and to deposit thereon/ any carriedv i liquid.

Signed at Chicago,.Illinois, this16th day' of May-,1920. V

HORACE H. KoUKA. 

